Roshi
by Dactyl Winters
Summary: It's been fifteen years since Aang's death. The Fire Nation is weakening, and Roshi, daughter of Fire Lord Zuko, along with her brother Kami and a firebender named Iroh, go out in search of the next Avatar in order to save their nation.
1. Chapter 1

Roshi took a deep breath and steadied her blade. She squinted her eyes in concentration and turned to face her opponent, a tall, amber-eyed man standing opposite her. They circled each other like cats, focusing on the other's movements, hair pulled back, beads of sweat blossoming on their foreheads. The man struck the first blow. He moved his hands in a swift, fluid motion, sending jets of fire shooting straight toward her chest. She tumbled quickly to the ground, then popped back up and slashed at his arms.

Without the use of arms, a bender is useless. Roshi always took advantage of that during a fight.

He sidestepped her attack and hurled ball after ball of fire after her. Roshi evaded every one and lunged at her opponent. Just as she predicted, he ducked out of the way. She quickly leaped over him and clipped his temple with the tip of her boot. He collapsed on the ground unconscious.

Roshi sheathed her dagger and left the stage, panting. Applause erupted all around her, from both students in training and their masters. It was a rare sight for them, watching a powerful bender defeated by a non-bender, especially since she was a woman.

A band of excited-looking students approached her, all around the ages of thirteen and fourteen. Their teacher followed them.

"Please thank our guest lady roshi for giving us a demonstration today!"

The children all bowed politely and said in unison, "Thank you, Lady Roshi."

She brushed a strand of long, black hair out of her eyes. "It was an honor," she replied. "Now, do any of you have any questions for me?"

A tough-looking boy raised his hand.

"yes?"

"Where's the best place to attack a bender?"

"Definitely the arms. Without arms, a bender is rendered useless. Also, there are certain pressure points that can help you. When I hit my opponent's temple, I was using a pressure point that knocked him unconscious. If I had struck any harder, he could have been killed." The children absorbed her every word, eager, wide-eyed. "There's even a pressure point that can take away their bending for a short period of time. This can give you a huge advantage, since it's rare for benders to have any real strength in combat."

They nodded. A young girl with sharp green eyes raised her hand.

"Yes?"

"Is it hard living in a family of fire-benders with no powers of your own?"

Roshi sighed, and bitterly answered, "Yes. Harder that you can imagine. Every day, I'm constantly having to prove that I'm just as talented as everyone else in my family. It's a constant struggle, but if I work hard enough, I can maintain my honor, and keep up my reputation.

"Anyone else?" Instantly, a dozen hands shot up. This was going to be a long day.

As soon as every question was answered, and after she recieved her gift from the school (a thick wad of letters from the students), Roshi quickly walked over to the large sundial in the center of the courtyard. It was almost 3 in the afternoon. She cursed silently, pulled her hood down over her eyes, and hurried from the building.

Roshi swiftly moved through the bustling crowds of the city's center, making her way toward the palace at its heart. Vendors pulled carts and called out the price of their goods, while acrobats juggled with fire and musicians played on yogi horns.

Roshi felt a tug on the hem of her robe and turned around. A young boy, dirty and thin, looked up at her. "Could ya spare any change, Miss?" He said quietly.

She rummaged through her bag and handed him a silver piece. His eyes widened at the sight of it. "This is worth at least three loaves," she told him. "Don't pay attention to anyone who offers you less."

He nodded. "Thank you, Miss!" He hurried off into the crowd.

Roshi sighed. There was so much poverty in the Fire Nation, even among young children. It hurt to think about the five-course meal awaiting her at the palace.

As soon as she approached the palace doors, a servant came running up to her, out of breath. "Is there anything you need, Princess Roshi?"

"No, but I would like to speak with Admiral Sung Li."

"I'll let him know." He raced off again, back up the stairs.

The two guards at the front bowed, then pulled open the heavy doors and allowed her to pass through. She climbed up the several flights of steps and took a right, heading for the military quarters.

"Any news?" she inquired.

Sung Li looked up from his maps and shook his head. "Not of any importance, princess," he replied. "A few fights, a robbery or two."

"No news of any avatar?"

"Not yet, I'm afraid."

"It doesn't make any sense!" She scowled in frustration. "Avatar Aang passed away fifteen years ago. There's bound to be at least a few sightings by now!"

Sung Li frowned. "Wherever he or she is, they must be extremely well-hidden."

"The Avatar's reincarnated into a different tribe every year, isn't he?"

Sung Li nodded.

"Well, that means the next Avatar is from a water tribe."

"Yes. But which one?"

"I'm not sure. There are more people in the Northern Water Tribe, so the chances are better there."

"But the Southern Water Tribe is much more isolated. It's hard for news to travel in or out, which could explain why no one's heard from the Avatar yet."

Roshi ran her fingers through her hair, thinking hard. "I think fifteen years is enough time for a search party to be sent out, don't you?"

"You'd have to get permission from Fire Lord Zuko first."

"I guess I'll give him a visit, then."

"Good luck, Princess Roshi."

Roshi nodded, and left the room.


	2. Chapter 2

Roshi sat in front of her mirror, wondering how to ask her father for a search party. She sighed loudly. Her maid, Soka, finished pinning Roshi's hair up in a delicate bun and looked at her, surprise etched on her face. "What's wrong, princess?"

"Nothing, Soka. I'm just worried about the Fire nation."

"Why is that?" Soka asked, while she powdered Roshi's face.

She waited until Soka finished and said, "Our people have gotten so poor. We used to be an all-powerful nation, but now we can barely hold ourselves together."

Soka shook up a bottle of perfume and said, "All the same, I think it's better to be poor and respected than rich and hated by every other nation, don't you?"

"Yes, but I still wish we could have both."

Soka smiled. "I'm sure you'll figure something out, princess. Now, which necklace would you prefer, the black one or the silver?"

Roshi walked calmly into the dining room and took a seat.

"Hey, Roshi!" exclaimed Paku. He was only eleven, the youngest in the family. "How was your trip to the school?"

"It was fine," she replied. "But the student's questions seemed to go on forever."

"That just means you got them excited! That's a good thing," said Roshi's mother, Queen Nishei. "Perhaps you'll inspire a future soldier."

"We definitely need more soldiers," her brother Kami grumbled. He always seemed to be in a bad mood, and no one exactly knew why..

"How was your day, Kami?" Nishei asked him politely.

"Terrible, as usual. I'm so sick of living here. It's all the same, day after day. Nothing ever changes." He scowled into his rice bowl.

"Well, that's good to hear," Paku answered sarcastically. "Today, I learned a new fire-bending move!"

"That's great, Paku," Roshi said. "Perhaps you could show us after dinner."

"Not me," Dilung said. "I'm too busy. Rima and I are about to reach a new scientific breakthrough." Dilung was the eldest, and first in line for the throne. He seemed more interested in inventing and mathematics than running a nation, though. Fire Lord Zuko had tried, and failed, to turn Dilung into the prince that the Fire Nation desperately needed, which left Roshi, second eldest, to take over his responsibilities. She knew she could make a great ruler, if the laws permitted it.

"Have I met Rima before?" Queen Nishei asked him.

"It's not as if you needed to meet her. We're not dating, she's just helping me in the labs," Dilung said. "I don't need your approval for that."

Nishei didn't seem convinced, but she stayed silent while Dilung blabbed on and on about his work.

"...So then Rima figured that if light and sound can travel through tubes, why not electric current?"

Paku yawned. "That sounds great, Dilung, but to be honest, who needs electricity when we can make our own?"

"Paku, not everyone CAN make their own. Take Roshi, for instance."

Roshi bent her head and quietly finished her soup.

"No offense, Roshi. But wouldn't it be an amazing thing for everyone to be able to use electricity whenever they wanted?"

" I suppose," said Roshi. "Have fun with your experiments."

"Oh, I definitely will!" He smiled like a kid on Bashu Day.

Roshi wished she were that passionate about something. But all she cared about was keeping her nation strong and fighting, which wasn't a good hobby for a non-bender. She scowled even more than Kami.

Just then, they heard someone approaching the table. They all stood up and bowed to Fire Lord Zuko, and waited until he was seated before resuming the meal.

"I apoligize for my lateness," he said. "I was a little preoccupied."

"Well, you're here now, and that's all that matters," said Nishei.

Fire Lord Zuko picked up his chopsticks and started to eat. "How was your lesson today, Paku?"

Paku grinned at his father's interest. "It was great! I learned the fire dagger trick today. Maybe I could show you after dinner..."

"That would be wonderful," he replied. " I think I can set aside some time to watch my son learn fire-bending." He smiled.

Paku's eyes lit up. "Thanks, father!"

The dishes were collected and desserts laid out. Roshi began to eat some dumplings and decided to wait until everyone else had finished telling Lord Zuko about their day before sharing her proposition.

Dilung exclaimed, "Rima and I are trying to establish a network of electric current throughout the city. It would greatly improve everyday life, and could help us all see better at night."

"That sounds exciting," Lord Zuko replied, but Roshi could tell he wasn't interested. No one really understood Dilung's scientific talk, or cared. "What did you get done today, Kami?"

Kami said sullenly, "To be honest, I worked at the hospital. Fire works wonders in performing amputations."

Paku let out a laugh. "I'll bet you just LOVE working with all that blood!"

Kami just softly answered, "Exactly."

"Well, helping the sick is very important, especially in these hard times. I'm proud of you, Kami."

He nodded, and, shaking his long, shaggy hair out of his eyes, stood up and left the room.

Nishei frowned. "He seemed a little moody."

"Yeah, but he's always moody," said Paku.

Roshi took this as an oppurtunity to speak. "Father, I need to ask your permission to send out a search party."

"What for?" asked Dilung.

Fire Lord Zuko took a deep breath and said to Nishei, "Do you mind taking Dilung and Paku out for a moment? I need to speak to Roshi privately."

"Of course," she said, and they all silently left the room and closed the door behind them.


End file.
